Second Love
by ireallydontcareaboutapenname
Summary: This is a story of Jess's search for love 5 years after Leslie's death. R&R please! Constructive criticism welcomed, let me know if you don't like where the story is headed.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my attempt at a happy ending after the book ends.

It was the first day of school in Lark Creek Virginia, the students all exited the busses and cars and headed through the crowded halls of Lark Creek High on the way to their classes. Jess Aarons seemed no different than any other student, it had been 5 years since he first met her, the girl that would change his life forever. It had been 3 years since he last returned to his kingdom, he could hardly stand being in Terabithia, without her. Jess was anxious about the new school year, it seemed everyone else had a girlfriend, everyone but Jess. The whole town treated him differently since that day, Jess didn't want the extra attention, and closed everyone out.

Jess entered Mr. Vernon's first period biology, where he settled in a desk three from the left and net to last row. It was then he saw her, Jess saw her and knew that this girl was special. She had fiery red hair and the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen, she quickly took a seat in the front row, as the bell rang. Mr. Vernon looked up from his paper and greeted the class.

"Good morning class, my name is Mr. Vernon, and welcome to biology class, I see you have made yourselves comfortable, well that is about to change. Here is your new seating chart I trust you will find your new seats quickly, and silently."

Mr. Vernon turned on the projector and the students all gathered their things. Jess's new seat was in the second row on the right side of the room jess sat down without a sound, he wondered who Gloria was, after all he would be sitting next to her for a long time to come. He had never heard of her or many of the other people in class. Jess looked up to see the girl sit down right next to him, he quickly put his head down so she wouldn't notice him staring at her. The girl rifled through her things and tapped Jess on the shoulder.

"Hey I forgot my pencil can I borrow one?"

"Hey!! No talking over there." Mr. Vernon exclaimed "We have a lot to go over today, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you detention."

"Wh…"

"Do you want to go for two?"

Mr. Vernon handed out the syllabus to his class that explained all of his expectations. Jess sat there dazed only looking at Gloria. The bell rang and Jess hurried off to his next class, the one he was dreading the most, Geometry. The period ended and Jess walked to his locker to put his new books away, there 5 lockers down he spotted Gloria, Jess must have lost track of time because the bell rang and there he was standing alone in the middle of the hallway. Principal Sullivan came around the corner and Jess took off running.

"STOP right there Mr. Aarons" He yelled, "You know that we do not tolerate tardiness here, I'm going to have to give you some time to think about it… after school."

"But, principal Sullivan, I will miss the bus" Jess said in a sheepish voice.

"That does not concern me, I guess you will have to walk home. Now get to class I don't want to see you in these halls after class has begun again."

Jess hurried off to class, but the rest of the day went by in a blur, he did however notice Gloria in 3 more of his classes. He worried all day about what he would tell his mom when he got home late, on the first day of school. He got to the detention room, where he found Gloria sitting in the corner working on the homework assignment Mr. Vernon had so graciously bestowed upon them. He sat down next to her.

"I see you are working on Mr. Vernon's biology assignment."

"Yeah, wait you're that boy that sits next to me and stared at me throughout class."

"Oh… I guess you noticed."

"It wasn't hard. So what brings you to detention?"

"Well I just wanted to keep you company, I'm Jess Aarons by the way, may I ask what your name is?"

"I am Gloria Templeton."

"So I've never noticed you around school before, did you just move here?"

"Yeah My family moved in over the summer, they thought it would help me… never mind, you wouldn't want to hear it, and I really don't feel like talking about it anyway."

"Whatever you say."

Principal Sullivan entered the room around 3:30.

"Okay, you guys can go, and I don't want to see either of you in here again."

"Yes sir Principal Sullivan sir"

"Enough with the smart talk Mr. Aarons, or I'll be seeing you the rest of the week."

Jess waited while Gloria packed her things.

"See you tomorrow." he said.

"Try not to stare tomorrow, its kind of creepy."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Jess started out along the road that heads out of town, it would be a long 4 mile walk out to his house. Just then a yellow VW beetle stopped alongside of him.

"Hey Jess, it looks like we're heading the same way, do you want a ride?"

"Sure Gloria, that would be great!"

Jess got in the car and Gloria drove off.

They made small talk on the way home.

"So Gloria do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, do you?"

"I have 4 sisters, two are older and two are younger. I am the classic middle child." "So have you made any friends since moving here?"

"Not really I spent most of the summer unpacking, and we live so far out in here in the country there aren't a lot of neighbors"

"Yeah I guess we are kind of a ways out here, Well this is my driveway up here, you can let me out at the end, there are a lot of potholes to dodge."

"Okay, well I am just up the road there. But it was nice seeing you, See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow Gloria, and Thank you very much for the ride."

"You're welcome… BYE."

"Wait, Gloria would you like to go out some time, maybe catch a movie?"

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Thanks for reading, R&R please.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This picks up immediately after the last chapter, of course its probably obvious but just to make sure.

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"Wow Jess, I never really thought about it, I guess if we just went as friends its okay, I just don't think I'm ready for a relationship right now."

"Its okay, so Friday?"

"Friday. I'll pick you up at around 6:30"

"Sounds great, I'll see you tomorrow, don't forget your pencil."

"Alright, only if you promise to keep your eyes on the board and not me."

"Sounds like we have a deal."

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Jess jogged up the driveway to his house where his mother was busy making dinner, he slowly opened the door and tried to sneak his way upstairs, but the third stair had other ideas.

"SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEK"

"Jess honey is that you?"

"Yeah mom."

"What brings you home so late?"

"Well I met this girl, her name is Gloria, and I was late to third period, so Sullivan gave me demmgntn."

"What was that?"

"Detention."

"DE-TEN-TION!!! HOW DO YOU GET DETENTIONON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL?"

"I told you… I was late for third period."

"Jess I am so disappointed, I am going to have to ground you."

"Ground me, but I am going to the movies with Gloria on Friday."

"Well grounded doesn't make exceptions because you want to go see a movie, that's why its punishment."

"You are so unfair, you never grounded Brenda when she got all of her detentions, you just let her gallivant all across the countryside."

"Well we expected her to get detentions, we expect more out of you. You're lucky I didn't drag your father into this, he would have been much harder on you. Now go to your room and work on your homework, dinner will be ready in about an hour."

"FINE!!"

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"Jess its time for dinner."

"Okay I'll be down in a minute."

"So Jess How was your first day of school?" his father asked.

"It was fine, I met this girl and we are supposed to go see a movie on Friday."

"Well that's not what I heard."

"Well what did you hear?"

"I heard you were late to class and you got detention."

"Oh that, I guess, but I was talking to Gloria."

"Now Jess you know we can't let you go to the movies… It is a punishment."

"Don't you think I have been punished enough, I had to stay after school, and I missed the bus."

"No Jess, I don't think you've been punished enough, that's why you won't be going to the movies with Gloria."

"Dad, I can't believe you, I thought you would understand more than anything, I haven't felt this way since I met Leslie, and I can't ruin this."

"Well Jess I don't think Leslie has any place in this conversation."

"Yes Dad she does, she was my first love, and now she's gone, and I just can't seem to shake it."

"First Love please you were 11 years old, you didn't know anything about love."

"Really Dad, then why after she died has it taken me 5 years to even get over the pain enough to ask another girl out."

"I don't know Jess, I was beginning to think you might be…"

"Might be what Dad?"

"Well…gay."

"GAY you thought I was GAY!!!"

"Well you were always drawing, you didn't ever hang out with any guys, and your best friend was a girl."

"I can't believe you thought I was gay, that's even more reason you should let me go out with Gloria."

"Sorry Jess, but like I said its punishment."

"You know I really can't believe you."

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The next day at school, Jess waited by his locker for Gloria, to tell her the news, he didn't know how she would react.

"Hey Gloria!"

"Hi Jess!"

"Soooo How did your parents react to your detention?"

"No big deal, I just explained that the teacher was upset that I was talking during his lecture, and they didn't say anything else."

"Lucky!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well I got grounded."

"Well that seems kind of harsh, does this mean that we can't go see the movie?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so."

"Well I knew it, just another guy coming up with a lame excuse to not hang

out with me."

"No Gloria its not like that, in fact, I can probably sneak out, I used to do it all the time."

"You ….sneak out, that's a laugh. How exactly do you propose doing that?"

"Well I don't know, I'll think of something. We better be getting to class, My mom would really freak if I got another detention, but if you take me home after school, we can talk more."

"Alright, sounds like a plan, meet me at my car, after school."

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The school day seemed to fly by as Jess waited in anticipation of his after school rendezvous with Gloria. The bell finally rang dismissing school for the day and Jess hurried off to meet Gloria at her car, unknowingly forgetting his homework in his locker.

"Jess, you are out of breath, did you run out here?"

"Yeah, I just couldn't wait to see you."

"Well easy, remember, were just friends."

"Yeah, alright."

"Well get in silly."

"Oh yeah sorry"

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Gloria started the Cr, and started out of the parking lot.

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"So did you think of how to sneak out yet?"

"Well, remember that group project we have to do for Mr. Vernon… I could say we are working on that."

"On a Friday??"

"Yeah I guess that doesn't make any sense. Do you have any ideas?"

"Let's see, you could get a rope and repel down the house, run through the woods, and meet me out on the road."

"Yeah I don't run through those woods anymore, in fact, I don't run at all anymore."

"Why don't you run anymore?"

"Well, its kind of a long story, and were almost to my house."

"Well, do you think your mom would care if I came over, because I really want to hear it."

"I don't think she would care, but I will probably have to watch my little sisters for her to let me out of the house."

"That's okay, I would love to meet them."

"Alright take the second driveway to the right."

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"Mom I'm home."

"Oh hi Jess, this must be Gloria."

"Yes Mrs. Aarons, I'm Gloria Templeton."

"Well It's nice to meet you Gloria."

"Mom Is it okay if Gloria and I take a walk?"

"I don't think so Jess, you are on punishment."

"What if I take Joycie and May Belle?"

"I guess I can't punish them too, just be back before it gets dark for dinner."

"Alright, thanks mom."

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Jess took May Belle Joycie and Gloria off down the path to Terabithia.

"Jess, I thought you said you don't go into these woods anymore?"

"No I said I don't run through these woods anymore, anyway this is where the story starts and I want you to understand it."

"Alright."

They kept walking until they reached the bridge that Jess had built 4 years prior, it was still in good shape. Gloria laughed when she saw the sign.

"Nothing Crushes Us, Nice did you come up with that?"

"Yeah, but give me a break, I was 12. May Belle take Joycie to the castle, I'm going to stay here and talk with Gloria."

"OO a castle I want to see it."

"Well I'll show it to you later, I thought you wanted to hear the story."

"Oh yeah go on."

"Well I was 11 and I had no friends, and this girl moved in next door, the class made fun of her, and so we had a common bond. She brought me out here and we created our own world to escape all of the bullies and name calling. Then one day I went to Washington D.C. with Ms. Edmunds and she came out here alone and the rope broke that we used to swing over the creek. They found her later that day, and my life changed forever. I always blamed myself for not going with her that day."

"Oh Jess that's awful, I guess I can tell you why I'm not ready for a relationship."

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A/N hope you enjoyed, more should come soon.


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